Engaging the netizens has been a long discussed approach that is echoed by many political observers. It’s only a matter of time before political figures begin to show their presence online. Just last Friday, China’s President made a quick 5-minute appearance online in People’s Daily website to answer questions posed by netizens.

The time was extremely short, only for him to answer a few questions. Yet, it marked a very important step in the willingness to engage and converse with the general public. The two questions were nothing serious, but good enough for him to have a feel how online resources can complement other forms of media. Well, most governments are still wary of online activities.

Q1: What contents do you usually read online?

Ans: Reading local and international news, understanding what netizens are discussing and also attempting to understand the criticism and suggestions for the party and country.

Q2: Are you aware of the massive amount of feedbacks and suggestions online?

Ans: We are indeed reading these, and we are taking these opinions and suggestions in our stride. It’s an important channel to understand public sentiments.

** Disclaimer: The above is my translation from the Chinese dialogue to my best ability and I offer no guarantee on the accuracy of the translation.

Navigating the internet for the first time in a live chat, it is perfectly understandable why he had chosen the safest answers that one can offer. Just like how companies often need to earn the trust of consumers, I suspect a certain level of trust towards such medium need to be in place before we will see one open up more.

Looks like we are indeed looking at New World leaders in the days to come, as in the cyber-world of New Media.